EU POSTPONES JAPAN, MONGOLIA MEETINGS DUE TO CYPRUS CRISIS

The European Union cancelled an upcoming summit with Japan and a visit to Mongolia, due to the bloc‘s efforts to resolve the financial crisis in Cyprus, EU leaders announced late Friday.

“It is with regret that we have decided to postpone next week‘s EU-Japan summit,” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU President Herman Van Rompuy said in a statement. “The on-going efforts to find a solution for the financial situation of Cyprus require our presence in Brussels.”

The leaders were due to meet Monday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with negotiations toward a free-trade agreement atop the agenda.

“We reiterate the importance of EU-Japan strategic relations and would like to thank Prime Minister Abe for expressing his understanding,” they said.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht is to proceed with his visit Monday to Tokyo, the leaders said.

Barroso was due to begin the trip with a stop Saturday in Mongolia, which has likewise been postponed. He apologized to President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj in a personal telephone call.

“I explained that the on-going efforts to find a solution for the financial situation of Cyprus require my presence in Brussels,” Barroso told the Mongolian president, according to the statement. dpa hm fff Author: Helen Maguire